Monthly Archives: September 2015

The GOP presidential candidates at a debate held at the Reagan Library. Do they understand the threats we face?

Fourteen years after the attacks of 9/11, the nature of the threat we face in the Middle East has changed significantly. Radical Islam is still a major problem. But the most serious threat we now face in the region is from a movement I call Apocalyptic Islam.

Do Members of the House and Senate, U.S. policymakers, and the presidential candidates understand the nature of this threat? If they do, they need to talk about it publicly and explain how they would counter it before it’s too late.

Earlier this week, I spent an hour with a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill discussing such matters.

Today, I look forward to raising this issue during my remarks at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.

Here are two fact sheets I recently put together that provide more details:

To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it.

Fourteen years ago — on September 11, 2001 — America was blindsided by the forces of radical Islam. Pre-9/11, American leaders rightly understood that the vast majority of the world’s Muslims were generally peace-loving people who posed no threat to our homeland. But they failed to adequately comprehend, much less counter, the theology, political ideology, and operational strategy of men like Osama bin Laden.

The results were devastating. The attacks against the World Trade Center, against the Pentagon, and over Shanksville, Pa., killed nearly 3,000 Americans, along with individuals from 93 other nations, in the most devastating sneak attack since we were blindsided by the Imperial Japanese at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Today, President Obama and members of his administration still refuse to use the term “radical Islam,” even as Jordan’s King Abdullah II, a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, candidly admits that the West is engaged in a “third world war” against Islamic terrorism. Abdullah adds that, at its core, “this is a Muslim problem. We need to take ownership of this. We need to stand up and say what is right and what is wrong.”

The king is right. The threat of radical Islam to the U.S. and our allies is serious and ongoing.

That said, there is a dramatic shift underway in the Muslim world. The most serious threat we face in the Middle East and North Africa is no longer radical Islam but apocalyptic Islam….

I intend to address some of the urgent challenges facing us in the Middle East — from the future of U.S.-Israel relations, to the Iran nuclear threat, the rise of ISIS, and the emerging threat of Apocalyptic Islam.

That said, in the context of this particular event, I believe it’s important to look at these issues from the perspective of how to choose the next American President. Who would be best candidate to lead America in 2017 and beyond? Who has the right character, vision, and detailed, substantive, serious plans for reform? Who has the wisdom, experience and sound judgment? Who is ready for the enormous and complicated challenges facing this great country?

Choosing the right leader is not an easy process, but it is vitally important. America is on the wrong track, going in the wrong direction. We are in heading steadily — perhaps rapidly — towards implosion. We’ve murdered 57 million babies. We have five Justices on the Supreme Court who have decided that the Bible is wrong and they know better than God what the definition of marriage should be. We have taken on $18 trillion in debt and we’re taking on more and more debt with no end in sight. We are surrendering to Russia, Iran and ISIS. Our tax code is corruptingly complex and killing jobs and opportunity. We can’t — or won’t — control our sovereign borders. Our schools are a mess. Violence, drugs and pornography are epidemic. Sadly, the list goes on and on.

So who can get us turned around and heading in the right direction? I’ve been praying about this and studying the Scriptures for many months, asking the Lord for clarity, and here is what I have concluded.

America also needs a Josiah.

A President cannot save America from all our troubles. We desperately need a massive spiritual revival, a Third Great Awakening that transform hearts and minds from the Carolinas to California.

That said, leadership matters. We need a leader like the one-time King of Judah whom the Bible describes as one of the most humble, strong, wise and impressive leaders of all-time. I hope you’ll take some time to read through these notes, and read through the accounts of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35. At the end of these notes, you’ll see some of my “final thoughts” about how I believe the life and lessons of Josiah apply to our time and this presidential campaign. I hope you find this helpful. Please feel free to share with others.

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JOSIAH AND THE ROAD TO REFORM AND REVIVAL

Lessons from the life of Judah’s most humble and godly king

At a time when Hebrew prophets like Jeremiah were warning of the coming judgment of the people of Jerusalem and Judah because they were refused to read, listen to, or obey the Word of God, the Lord mercifully raised up a leader who did, in fact, love the Lord his God and loved His Word.

His name was Josiah. A godly king, Josiah passionately sought the Lord in his private life and pursued bold, sweeping reforms in his public life to get the Jewish nation turned around and headed back in the right direction.

As a result, the Lord in His sovereignty graciously chose to forestall the promised coming judgment for more than two decades. Indeed, during Josiah’s tenure in power, the Jewish people experienced one of the greatest periods of repentance, reform and revival in their ancient history.

In the end, however, when Josiah passed away, new leaders emerged and tragically they turned away from the Lord and led the people astray. Judgment came to the nation in 586 B.C. with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple at the hands of the Babylonian army.

Are there lessons from the life of Josiah for our nation at this time? Is it possible that the Lord might graciously raise up a leader like Josiah who loves Him and His Word and will boldly pursue serious reforms to help turn our nation around and get us headed back in the right direction? Despite our many sins and failures as a nation, might the Lord be willing to forestall judgment – at least for a while – and give us a season of great reform and revival?

These are important and intriguing questions. As we seek answers, let us begin by trying to better understand Josiah, his times, his nation, and his God.

Who was Josiah?

Josiah was 8 years old when he became the king of Judah (2 Chronicles 34:1), that is around 627 B.C.

Josiah reigned for 31 years. (2 Chronicles 34:1)

The ESV Study Bible and the MacArthur Study Bible state Josiah reigned as king from 640 B.C. to 609 B.C.

Josiah’s grandfather was Manasseh, the most wicked king in the history of Judah (2 Kings 21:1-18).

Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king (2 Kings 21:1)

Manasseh “did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.” (2 Kings 21:2)

Manasseh was the most evil king in the history of Judah and during his reign idol worship, witchcraft, and child sacrifice were practiced. Indeed, the Bible states that “Manasseh seduced them [the people of Judah] to do evil more than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.” (see 2 Kings 21:3-9, and particularly verse 9).

Because of the evil done during the reign of Manasseh, terrible judgment was coming and it was certain. “Now the Lord spoke through His servants the prophets” that “I am bringing calamity on Jerusalem and Judah” and “I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish….I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me.” (see 2 Kings 21:10-15)

Josiah’s father was Amon, another wicked king of Judah. (2 Kings 21:24)

Amon was 22 years old when he became king. (2 Kings 21:19)

Amon reigned for only two years before being assassinated. (2 Chronicles 33:21, 2 Kings 21:23)

Amon “did evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done.” (2 Kings 21:20)

Amon “walked in all the ways that his father [Manasseh] had walked, the idols that his father had served and worshipped them.” (2 Kings 21:21)

Amon “forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.” (2 Kings 21:22)

“The servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his own house.” (2 Kings 21:23)

Josiah’s mother was “Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.” (2 Kings 22:1)

Jedidah became a widow at a fairly young age, as Amon was only 24 when he was assassinated (2 Kings 21:23

The Scriptures do not tell us whether Jedidah played a positive spiritual role in the life of Josiah.

What was the turning point in Josiah’s life?

The Bible tells us that Josiah was about 15 or 16 years old (in the eighth year of his reign) when “he began to seek the God of his father David.” (2 Chronicles 34:2)

Josiah was about 19 or 20 years old (in the twelfth year of his reign) when he began “to purge Judah and Jerusalem” of the idols and altars and places of false worship. (2 Chronicles 34:2-7)

Josiah was about 26 years old when he directed the High Priest (Hilkiah) to hire workers to clean up and repair the Temple in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 34:8-13)

It was during this process that a lost copy of “the book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses” was found in the Temple. (2 Chronicles 34:14)

The king asked that the word of the Lord be read to him and it was read to him. (2 Kings 22:8-10)

“When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded [his servants], ‘Go and inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do all that is written concerning us.’” (2 Kings 22:8-10)

Hearing the very word of God had a tremendously powerful impact on Josiah. As the king heard the word of God – as it was read to him and as he listened to it carefully – he suddenly understood its import.

Josiah understood that while he was making some good reforms, he still was not leading the nation in the right direction.

Josiah understood that the leaders of the nation before him hadn’t led the nation in the right direction, that they had ignored and defied the Lord and his word, and that there were enormous consequences facing them for having taken this path.

Josiah understood that certain judgment was coming.

Josiah, thus asked his advisors to seek the Lord to find out whether there was any way to turn the ship of state around, as it were, to get back on the right track and to avoid cataclysmic judgment.

Josiah’s advisors – including the High Priest – apparently did not know the Lord well enough to seek the word of the Lord directly. So they sought out a true servant of God who was living in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 34:20-22)

What was the message that the Lord sent to Josiah?

The Lord saw Josiah’s anguish over the wrong direction his nation was going in, and in His mercy the Lord sent a message to the king through a prophetess named Huldah. (2 Chronicles 34:22-30)

This is the message Josiah received:

Judgment is coming to the nation because the people have turned against the Lord and His word– it is deserved, it is certain, it will come to pass, and nothing can be done to stop it.

“Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read.” (2 Kings 22:16)

“Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.” (2 Kings 22:17)

However, because Josiah’s heart is so tender before the Lord and because when he heard the word of the Lord he humbled himself and repented and sought to obey the Lord, God sovereignly chooses to delay the certain coming judgment until after Josiah passed away.

“But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord thus you shall say to him….‘[B]ecause your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,’ declares the Lord.” (2 Kings 22:18-19)

“Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.” (2 Kings 22:20)

What kind of reforms did Josiah make during time in power?

Josiah purged the land of idol worship. (2 Chronicles chapter 34:3-7)

Josiah ordered the Temple to be cleaned and repaired (2 Chronicles 34:8-13)

Josiah made the reading and studying of the Bible a top priority for the Jewish people. The Scriptures state that he called together “all” the leaders of Jerusalem and Judah and “all the people” of Jerusalem and Judah and personally “read in their hearing all the words of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 34:29-30)

Josiah publicly made a covenant before the Lord and all the people “to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes which all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant written in the book [the Bible].” (2 Chronicles 34:31)

Josiah led the people to join him in this covenant to serve the Lord with all their heart and soul, “so all the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers” and “throughout his lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.” (2 Chronicles 34:32-33)

Beginning when he was about 26, Josiah reinstituted the celebration of the Passover to remind the people of God’s might and mercy, and it had never been celebrated so widely or in such a special manner as during the days of Josiah. (2 Chronicles chapter 35, see especially 35:18)

How did the Lord regard Josiah?

Josiah “always did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father, David, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (2 Chronicles 34:2)

“Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses.” (2 Kings 23:25)

“Nor did any [king] like him arise after him.” (2 Kings 23:25)

When Josiah eventually died, he “was buried in the tombs of his fathers” and “all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.” (2 Chronicles 35:24)

Jeremiah was particularly broken-hearted by the death of King Josiah. “Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentation to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations.” (2 Chronicles 35:25)

Did the Lord cancel the coming judgment because of Josiah’s faithfulness?

No.

The Lord delayed but did not cancel the coming judgment of Judah and Jerusalem because of Josiah’s faithfulness to Him and His word.

Josiah died around 609 B.C.

Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed in 586 B.C. by the Babylonian empire, in fulfillment of the Biblical prophecies.

How long did the Lord delay the judgment of Jerusalem and Judah?

Remarkably, the Lord delayed the prophesied and certain judgment of Jerusalem and Judah for 22 ½ years beyond the life of Josiah.

This means that 53 ½ years passed between the time Josiah ascended to the throne to the time the divine judgment of Jerusalem and Judah came to pass in 586 B.C. under the reign of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. (31 years of Josiah’s reign + 22 ½ years of the reigns of other kings)

Jehoahaz succeeded Josiah as king and reigned for three months in Jerusalem, but “he did evil in the sight of the Lord” and was arrested and imprisoned by an Egyptian Pharoah (see 2 Kings 23:28-33).

Eliakim (who changed his name to “Jehoiakim”) was made the next king and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem but “he did evil in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Kings 23:34-37)

Jehoiachin was the next king, he reigned three months in Jerusalem, but “he did evil in the sight of the Lord,” and then the Babylonian empire came to conquer the Jews and Jehoiachin was taken into exile in Babylon. (2 Kings 24:1-16)

Mattaniah was made the next king of Judah by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, who changed his name to “Zedekiah.” Zedekiah reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years under Babylonian sovereignty. In the end, however, the Babylonians “slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.” Then, in 586 B.C., the commander of the Babylonian forces “burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem” and then “the rest of the people who were left in the city [were] carried away into exile.” (see 2 Kings 24:17-20 and 2 Kings chapter 25)

What were the godly spiritual influences in Josiah’s life that helped him turn to the Lord?

The Bible does not give us precise clarity about how the Lord began to work so powerfully in Josiah’s life, but it does give us clues.

Let’s start with the negative.

Clearly, Josiah’s father was not a positive influence, and the Scriptures are silent as to any positive influence his mother was on his spiritual life.

There is little, if any, evidence that Hilkiah – the chief priest – was a positive influence on Josiah.

Neither the accounts in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles provides evidence that Hilkiah has provided godly counsel to Josiah during his youth.

Neither account provides evidence that Hilkiah has ever set foot in the Temple prior to King Josiah ordering its restoration.

Both accounts suggest Hilkiah was as surprised as everybody else concerning his discovery of the “book of the law of the Lord given by Moses” in the Temple.

Hilkiah does not take it upon himself to read the Scriptures to the king, but gives the job to Shaphan the scribe.

Neither account suggests that Hilkiah tore his robes when he hears the Scriptures read, in sharp contrast to Josiah’s reaction.

When King Josiah commands Hilkiah and his colleagues to “go, inquire of the Lord” concerning the coming judgment of Judah for her disobedience to God and His word, neither Hilkiah nor his colleagues appear to have a relationship with the Lord that they can go seek Him on their own. Instead, they have to seek out the wife of the keeper of the wardrobe to see if she can talk to the Lord on their behalf.

It is Josiah – not Hilkiah – who calls the leaders and people of the nation together to read the word of the Lord to them.

It is Josiah – not Hilkiah – who calls the people to celebrate Passover as they have never celebrated it before.

Some commentators speak well of Hilkiah for finding the lost Scriptural scroll and presiding over the Passover, but I see no evidence that these were his ideas, or that he provided either the king or nation godly, Biblical counsel much less godly leadership. By comparison, we have the example of Ezra who as both priest and scribe showed true spiritual leadership – in close cooperation with Nehemiah the governor – in helping the Jewish people turn back to the Lord.

Now, let’s consider the positive.

Josiah’s great-grandfather was Hezekiah, who was one of the most-godly kings in the ancient history of Judah – and one of its boldest reformers – even though he certainly made mistakes. While Josiah never met Hezekiah, it is very likely that he learned of his great-grandfather’s story of faith and bold reform as he was educated in the palace.

Hezekiah became king at 25 years old. (2 Chronicles 29:1)

Hezekiah reigned for 29 years. (2 Chronicles 29:1)

Hezekiah “did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.” (2 Chronicles 29:2)

Hezekiah “opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.” (2 Chronicles 29:3, and see all of chapter 29)

Hezekiah restored the Temple worship. (2 Chronicles 29:20-36)

Hezekiah reinstituted the celebration of the Passover to remind the people of God’s might and mercy. (2 Chronicles chapter 30)

Hezekiah was a man who prayed to the Lord and the Lord answered his prayers (2 Chronicles 32)

In God’s tremendous grace and mercy, Josiah’s wicked grand-father, Manasseh, was miraculously converted, forgiven and saved before his death.

Manasseh died when Josiah was only four years old.

However, Manasseh was a true believer for some – and possibly all – of those four years.

While Manasseh’s dramatic conversion made no impact on Josiah’s father, Amon, Manasseh may have prayed for and given special attention to little Josiah.

It is also possible that some of palace staff could have passed along some of the story of Manasseh’s conversion to young Josiah as he grew up in the palace.

Consider 2 Chronicles 33:10-20:

“When he [Manasseh] was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of Israel.

“When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.

“Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God….

“He [Manasseh] also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord….

“He set up the altar of the Lord….

“He ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel….”

During Josiah’s reign, God graciously raised up a series of prophets, including Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk to declare the word of the Lord. There is little, if any, Scriptural evidence that Zephaniah or Habakkuk had a relationship with King Josiah, though we can be fairly confident that a monarch who loved the Lord as much as Josiah did would have wanted to hear what the Lord was saying through such prophets.

There is some Scriptural evidence of a relationship between Josiah and Jeremiah.

The prophet Jeremiah was called by the Lord into ministry during the thirteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, when Josiah was 21 years old. (Jeremiah 1:1-2)

God raised up Jeremiah specifically to speak the word of the Lord to the Jewish nation, the Jewish leaders, including the king, as well as to the nations surrounding Judah.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

“See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:9)

“Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, and to the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:18-19)

Josiah and Jeremiah were likely the same age, or nearly so. Many Biblical commentators say Jeremiah was in his late teens or early twenties when he was called into ministry.

Might the two young men known each other growing up? We cannot say for certain, but it is possible.

We know that Josiah was born and raised in the town of Anathoth, which was only 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem, the capital, where Josiah was born and raised. (Jeremiah 1:1)

Jeremiah was born into a priestly family and his father was named Hilkiah. (Jeremiah 1:1) This priestly role may have brought the family into Jerusalem on a regular basis.

Is it possible that this is the same Hilkiah who was the High Priest? While many Biblical commentators believe the answer is “no,” some believe Jeremiah’s father might have been the High Priest. If so, then that could have been Josiah and Jeremiah into contact.

Again, Jeremiah was called into ministry was Josiah was 21. But it wasn’t until Josiah was 26 years old (“in the eighteenth year of his reign,” according to 2 Chronicles 34:8) that Josiah ordered the Temple to be cleaned and restored and the book of the law was discovered and read to him. What kind of conversations and times of prayer was Jeremiah having with Josiah during these five years?

Josiah reigned as king in Jerusalem for 31 years. (2 Kings 22:1) Jeremiah served as an active prophet of the Lord God Almighty for 18 years of those years. What kind of conversations and times of prayer was Jeremiah having with Josiah during these 18 years?

While the Scriptures do not give us any details, it is reasonable to believe that Josiah was trying to persuade his children to follow the Lord and read and heed the Scriptures. It is also reasonable to believe that Jeremiah was encouraging the king in this regard. It is also reasonable to believe that Jeremiah’s heart broke as he saw Josiah’s sons – the future kings of Judah – refusing to turn to the Lord and His word.

“It shall come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail….” (Jeremiah 4:9)

“For My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children and have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know.” (Jeremiah 4:22)

“The word of the Lord also came to me saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.’ For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bear them, and their fathers who beget them in this land: ‘They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried….’ Then you are to say to them….‘You…have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me. So I will hurl you out of this land into the land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor.’” (Jeremiah 16:1-4, 11-13)

When King Josiah died, he “was buried in the tombs of his fathers” and “all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.” (2 Chronicles 35:24) Jeremiah was present for the burial of Josiah, was particularly broken-hearted by Josiah’s death, because he knew that great evil and terrible judgments were coming.

Jeremiah influenced the nation on how to mourn for and remember this godly king. “Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentation to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations.” (2 Chronicles 35:25)

Concluding Thoughts

Like the nation of Judah in its day, America is heading towards implosion, towards judgment.

Only the grace and mercy of God can get us turned around and heading in the right direction.

We need a great revival and a Great Awakening.

We need pastors and lay leaders like Jeremiah who are willing to preach and teach the Word of God and warn the country of how much danger we are in.

We also need a national leader like Josiah who will humbly seek the Lord and boldly make serious, sweeping reforms.

We’re not looking for a Pastor-in-Chief or Theologian-in-Chief to be President of the United States — the role of President isn’t the same in the U.S. as the role of king was in the days of Judah.

The Church’s job is to pray, fast, repent, preach, teach, disciple and lead a great moral and spiritual revival — that is not the President’s job.

The President’s job is to follow the Constitution, protect the American people’s safety, protect the American people’s God-given rights and liberties, create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity, and lead the Free World in a time of great peril and volatility.

That said, we should be prayerfully seeking a President who loves the Lord, reads and loves God’s Word, is humble, is strong, is clear-sighted, will pursue bold reforms and can call the nation together to head in the right direction.

I’m not going to make a quick decision of whom to support. I’m going to pray for wisdom and clarity and discernment and see if a true Josiah emerges over the next few months.

(Washington, D.C.) — “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.” Hebrews 13:3 (NKJV)

On Tuesday evening, I had the opportunity to talk by phone with Mrs. Naghmeh Abedini. She is the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini, who has been in prison in Iran for converting to Christianity, preaching the Gospel, and helping the underground house church network inside Iran.

This Saturday will mark the third year since Pastor Saeed was arrested in Iran and sentenced to death. A prayer vigil for his protection and release will be held in churches all over the world this weekend. I ask you and your family and church to commit this weekend to praying for this dear brother in Christ and his precious family. I have been invited to speak that day at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. and will address Pastor Saeed’s remarkable story.

Saeed was born in Iran in 1980 and raised as a Shia Muslim. In his teens, he was recruited by a Radical Muslim group to become a suicide bomber and thus a martyr for the cause of jihad. But in 2000, God had mercy on Saeed and opened his eyes to the truth of the Gospel. At the age of 20, he renounced Islam and become follower and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As he grew in his faith, Saeed became active in sharing the Gospel with other Iranians, leading them to Christ, discipling them, and setting up and supporting a network of underground churches throughout Iran. Fox News has reported that “his home church movement had about 100 churches in 30 Iranian cities with more than 2,000 members.”

In time, Saeed had the opportunity to travel to the United States. There, he met and married Nagmeh, became a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, and the couple had two children, Rebekka and Jacob. As a family, they were committed to reaching the Iranian people with the love of Christ. Several times, Saeed traveled to Iran to encourage the underground church and care for the poor and needy. But in 2012, he was arrested by the Iranian government, beaten, and sentenced to death under Sharia law for converting to Christianity — thus becoming an apostate, in the eyes of Islam — and leading others to faith in Christ.

“It [the underground church movement] was just growing so fast,” Nagmeh told Fox News. “They [Iran’s government] see the underground churches as a threat and they see Christianity as a tool from the West to undermine them. They think if the country becomes more Christian, they are no longer under Islamic authority. That’s why it’s a threat.”

It has a been a long, painful, brutal journey for this family. They have suffered immensely because they have been so bold and so brave for the sake of the Gospel. Saeed has been attacked and severely beaten by fellow inmates. This week, he was tasered by prison officials. Yet through it all, God has shown great mercy, and even performed miracles.

“Saeed has shared the Gospel with many of the prisoners he is with,” Nagmeh told me. “Some of them are political prisoners, former high ranking officials in the government. Others are hardened criminals. But many of them have given their lives to Christ — dozens of them.”

Prison officials became so infuriated with Saeed for leading prisoners to Christ that they moved him to a different cell. But then more prisoners came to Christ. So they moved him to a different prison. But still more prisoners accepted Christ. Then they put him in a cell with the worst murderers on death row and warned Saeed not to speak of Christ or the inmates would kill him. But Saeed prayed that God would protect him and that God would soften the hearts of these murderers.

That’s when he saw more miracles. Several of the inmates in his cell had dreams and visions of the Lord Jesus Christ appearing to them personally. They became followers of Christ. Now they are protecting Saeed and he is able to encourage them in their faith.

A senior U.S. government official told Naghmeh that the Iranian government has told the U.S. that they are angry that Muslim prisoners are converting to Christ.

Saeed believes that one of the reasons the Lord has put him in prison is to reach Iranians with the Gospel. Otherwise, they would have had absolutely no way to hear the good news that God loves us and wants to forgive us and give us eternal life through faith in Christ. God is using him as a light in the darkness.

Naghmeh — who lives in Boise, Idaho, and attends a Calvary Chapel congregation there — believes that as well. She knows God is using her husband in a powerful way, amidst the persecution and suffering. And she told me she trusts the Lord, and that He is giving grace beyond measure to sustain them all. Still, she and her children still desperately want Saeed home. They miss him terribly, and he needs medical care for the wounds he has suffered in prison that the Iranian government refuses to provide.

So she continues to mobilize people to pray for her husband and for all persecuted Christians in Iran. She is trying to educate the nation and the world as to the plight of her husband and to what the Iranian government is doing. She is also trying to persuade world leaders to take up the cause of her husband and press Tehran for his release. She has met with President Obama and other U.S. leaders. Today, she has been invited to attend the Pope’s address to a Joint Session of Congress and is praying the Lord will give her an audience with the Pope. Next week, she will be in New York for the opening of the U.N. General Assembly. She is praying and fasting the Lord will open the door for her to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhaniand to be able to personally request his release.

“If the Iranian government doesn’t want him sharing the Gospel with the prisoners, there is a simple solution,” she told me. “They can release him, send him back to America, and tell him to never come back again.”

Please join me in praying daily for this family, and please share this story with others and get them to pray as well.

As the Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples, “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

After a short family visitation today at Rajaei Shahr prison in Iran, Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of American Pastor Saeed Abedini, heard disturbing news about possible new charges being brought against Pastor Saeed. Over the years, the Iranian government continually promised that Pastor Saeed’s eight-year-prison sentence could be arbitrarily extended, and yesterday they took their first steps to fulfill that promise.

Yesterday in Iran, Iranian intelligence officers summoned Pastor Saeed for an intense round of interrogation. Pastor Saeed reported to his family that the interrogators were abusive both verbally and physically. During the course of interrogation, the officers repeatedly used a taser gun on Pastor Saeed. This new assault is concerning as Pastor Saeed is still being denied needed medical care for injuries sustained as a result of beatings in the past.

The interrogators threatened that Pastor Saeed will face new criminal charges. They claimed Pastor Saeed has connections with anti-government groups and has made statements and taken actions against the government of Iran. Pastor Saeed denied all of these allegations, and once again asserted that he is apolitical and that he has never threatened the security of, made any statements against, or taken any action against the Government of Iran.

This troubling development comes as Iranian President Rouhani prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It also coincides with new efforts by the ACLJ in the international arena as a growing number of global leaders urge Iran to release Pastor Saeed.

Pastor Saeed has repeatedly expressed to the Iranian Government, both during his interrogations and at trial, that he poses no threat to the Government and was only present in Iran to assist Iran’s most vulnerable children by building a government-approved orphanage. Still, the Iranian Government continues to look for ways to keep this innocent U.S. citizen imprisoned.

In reaction to this news Naghmeh Abedini had this to say:

When will this nightmare end? Saeed is not a criminal. Being a Christian and motivated by Christian values to help the poorest and most needy children in Iran should be seen as good for the Iranian society. Hearing that yet again the hardliners in Iran are trying to fabricate evidence against my husband and that he was abused and tasered is almost too much to bear.

It is time for governments all over the world shift their focus to the injustices of the Iranian Government and call on the Government of Iran to free my husband. It is time for businesses seeking to do business in Iran to look beyond their bottom dollar and see the instability of a government known to imprison innocent men and women who have exercised their fundamental freedoms. Whether we operate in the field of business, government, or simply are members of human society, we must expect and demand more of our leaders.

I pray that as President Rouhani plans his travel to the United States next week, he will hear relentless voices crying out for Saeed’s freedom.

Saturday marks the third year of Pastor Saeed’s imprisonment. And there will be hundreds of prayer vigils that day around the globe – prayers for Pastor Saeed and his family.

The ACLJ joins Naghmeh in calling for world leaders to do more to free Pastor Saeed. We have heard from more than 265,000 people urging U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to intervene directly with the Iranian Government on Pastor Saeed’s behalf. We renew that call today.

Over the past year since the last Day of Atonement, millions of Jews around the world have begun a quest to find the Messiah.

At sundown, we begin Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This is the highest holy day on the Jewish calendar, and one of great Biblical and historic and cultural importance to my people.

I so wish I was home with Lynn and our sons in Israel tonight. Instead, I am in the U.S. speaking at a number of events, from Dallas to San Luis Obispo to Washington, D.C. to Toronto. I am speaking about the darkness that is falling in our world. But I am also explaining to people about a fascinating phenomenon that I’m observing.

Since last Yom Kippur, millions of Jews have begun a quest to find the Messiah. For reasons I cannot fully explain, Jews are suddenly searching for answers to the deepest and most important questions concerning life and death and God and atonement and eternity, in numbers unprecedented in history. Some are searching through the Hebrew Scriptures for answers. A stunning number are actually reading the New Testament, most for the first time. They are searching on Google for information about the Messiah. They are even watching a new series of videosby Jews who claim to have found the answers. The videos — some of which have gone viral — were produced and posted on a new website called www.imetmessiah.com.

To me, these are fascinating developments. They certainly aren’t being reported by the media. But they are worth examining. That said, more on all that in a moment.

First, a few thoughts about Yom Kippur itself.

In the Scriptures, the Israelites were commanded by the Lord to fast and pray and bring their sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem, and then to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness for all the sins they and their nation had committed that year. And the Scriptures were clear: only the sacrifice of a perfect animal — a sacrifice performed with a humble, repentant, sincere heart, and with faith in God’s mercy and grace — could bring about forgiveness of sins.

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Leviticus 17:11)

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22)

But here’s the problem we Jewish people have face since the destruction of the Temple: What does one do to receive atonement in the modern age, without a Temple?

How can one make sacrifices, and thus receive forgiveness of sins — and thus the right to enter the holiness of heaven and live with the Lord in heaven forever and ever — without being able to sacrifice a perfect lamb at the Temple in Jerusalem, where the Lord designated all sacrifices to occur?

The destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. was a huge blow to Judaism for many reasons, but chief among them because it deprived us of the one place to receive atonement from God.

The good news was found in Daniel 9:24-26. The Hebrew prophet Daniel explained to us that:

someday the Messiah (or “Anointed One”) would come to us

when the Messiah came, his purpose would be “to atone for wickedness” and “to bring in everlasting righteousness”

the Messiah would then be “cut off and will have nothing”

after the Messiah was “cut off,” then Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed

Daniel specifically noted that foreign invaders “will come and will destroy the city and the sanctuary”

Think about that. Daniel told us something extraordinary — that a coming Messiah would bring atonement for our sins before the Temple would be destroyed. That, in retrospect, makes sense, right? Why would the God of Israel take away the Temple before providing a new way for atonement?

Now, add in what the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah explained to us that not only was the Messiah coming to the Jewish people, but that He would bring a “new covenant,” a new and exciting and God-ordained way by which we would have a personal relationship with the Lord our God.

The Hebrew Prophet Isaiah gave us still more details about this coming Messiah. He explained that the Messiah would serve as King of the world eventually, but first the Messiah would be our “Suffering Servant.” That is, He would be rejected by the people, would suffer, and then die as our atoning sacrifice.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

13 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Who does that sound like to you?

When I was younger, I tried to process these and other Hebrew prophecies of the Messiah. Among them:

the Messiah will born in Judea, near Jerusalem, in Bethlehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2)

the Messiah will live and minister in the Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2)

the Messiah will teach in parables (Psalm 78:2)

the Messiah will enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)

the Messiah will be the Savior of the Jews but also a “light to the nations” (Isaiah 49:5-6)

These were fascinating, specific, detailed clues as to the identity of the One the Lord was sending to save and rescue our people. Each piece of the puzzle was helpful, but two clues I found especially interesting — first, that the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem Ephratah, the city of David; and second that the Messiah absolutely had to come to bring atonement and righteousness to His people before the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed in 70 A.D. Why? Because the God of Israel told us so through the Hebrew prophets.

I came to the conclusion that Jesus (Yeshua) of Nazareth is, in fact, the Messiah that Moses and the prophets spoke of. His death and resurrection were foretold by the prophets, and they prove that He is who He said He is: the “Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him” (John 14:6). Jesus’ shed blood provides the only atonement for sins for Jews and Gentiles today. Jesus brought us the “New Covenant” — the new deal, as it were, between God and man — that the Hebrew Prophet Jeremiah told us to wait for.

True, many Jewish people have rejected Jesus over the centuries. But have we really stopped to examine what Moses and the prophets said, and how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled every single one of those prophecies?

By God’s grace and kindness, my eyes were open. I received Jesus as Messiah, Savior and Lord when I was young. I humbled myself, confessed my sins to God the Father, believed in my heart by faith that Jesus died on the cross, and was buried, and rose again, according to the Scriptures. I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is the Lord. And so, as He promised, Jesus atoned for my sins. He washed them away, all of them, never to be remembered or held against me for all of eternity. He gave me eternal life. He — the King of the Universe — adopted me into His royal family. He gave me peace that passes all understanding. He gave me hope as an anchor for my soul. He gave me a purpose and a meaning for me life.

Why? Because I deserved it? No. Because I earned it? No. Because I could buy it? No. He gave all this to me for free, because He loves me, because He wanted to rescue me. And so I received Him into my heart by faith. For as the Scriptures explain so clearly, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12)

When my father, who was raised an Orthodox Jew in Brooklyn, discovered in 1973 — after a careful study of the Gospel According to Luke — that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, and received the Messiah by faith, my father thought he was one of the first Jews in history who believed this. He had never met a Jewish believer in Jesus. He had never heard of such a person. And in 1973, there were fewer than 2,000 Jewish people on the planet who were followers of Jesus.

But today, some 300,000 Jews around the world are followers of Jesus. And millions of Jews are searching for the Messiah and thus reading the Hebrew prophecies, and comparing them with the writings of the New Testament, and trying to decide whether Jesus really is the Messiah we have desperately longed for over so many centuries.

More than 10 million people have watched these videos just in the past few months.

Remarkably, more than 900,000 Hebrew speakers have watched the Hebrew-language versions of these videos in just the past four months. Given that there are only about 7 million Hebrew speakers in the world today, this means that nearly 1 in 7 of them have recently watched videos by Israeli Jews explaining how they came to discover that Yeshua is our Messiah.

The website is www.imetmessiah.com. Please visit, watch the videos, share them with family and friends, think about them and discuss them. And then I encourage you to humbly pray to God and ask Him to show you whether Jesus — Yeshua — is, in fact, the Anointed One who came to rescue and redeem us and atone for our sins and write our names in the Book of Life.

It is my earnest hope you will discover — or rediscover — Jesus for yourself this Yom Kippur and the days that follow. I’m praying for you to find His amazing love, grace and forgiveness, and the hope and joy that only He can give us.

May the God of Israel and His Anointed One bless you and your family beyond what you can hope for, dream of, or imagine.

UPDATED: After the Republican Debates at the Reagan Library on Wednesday evening, best-selling author Ann Coulter made some vile, anti-Jewish comments on Twitter.

First, she accused several GOP candidates of talking too much about Israel, despite the fact that Israel is one of America’s most faithful and trustworthy allies in the world, as well as our most faithful ally in the Middle East. Then Ann accused these candidates of speaking about Israel merely for the purpose of trying to win the votes of Jews and Evangelical Christians. Then she asked, “How many f—ing Jews do these people think there are in the United States.” Then, when I and others called her out, Anne argued that she loves Jews and Israel and simply was trying to make a point about GOP “pandering.”

My first two Tweets on the matter:

“Ugly & reprehensible anti-Semitic Tweet. @AnnCoulter, have you lost your mind? Such behavior is not conservative.”

You need to make this right, @AnnCoulter & I want you to. You made it about Jews. But you can fix it. #GOPDebate

In the hours following Ann’s comments, the anti-Semites really came out of the woodwork. All kinds of other anti-Semitic comments have been erupting on Twitter. These are not thoughtful, substantive Tweets concerning disagreements with Israeli policies or the merits of strong U.S.-Israeli relations. Rather, all kinds of people are using the occasion of Ann’s “f—ing Jews” comment to launch personal attacks against Jews and Israelis for being “vile” and “greedy” and committing “genocide” and “controlling the media” and all kinds of other evils.

A number of Jewish Americans have rightly criticized Coulter over the last few hours. Conservative and Christian leaders need to do so, as well. Ann is widely regarded as a leading conservative voice and she needs to be challenged by her fellow conservatives. To avoid the topic and say, “Well, that’s just Ann…” is wrong.

Imagine if President Obama or Hillary Clinton took a shot at loyal Jewish Americans by calling them “f—ing Jews”? I presume every conservative leader would be speaking out against such ugly, crude, hateful comments, and rightly so.

Last point for now: Is it really “pandering” and wrong and ridiculous for an American presidential candidate to speak positively about a faithful and trusted and loyal ally, be it Israel or any other country? Since when did it become wrong to publicly stand with American allies who share American values and are on the front lines in the fight with enemies of America? President Obama and his administration keep cutting loose one U.S. friend and ally after another, from Poland to the Czech Republic to Ukraine, to Israel, to Egypt, and beyond. I’m glad to hear men and women who want to be the next Commander-in-Chief publicly and firmly defend American security, American interests, and American allies on principle — Israel included.

Ann, as a Jew and an Evangelical, I’m praying for you to have a change of heart, apologize, and make this right.

Now is the time for Christians and Jews to stand together against common enemies — followers of Radical Islam and followers of Apocalyptic Islam — not to turn against one another. The stakes are too high.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

(Central Israel) — Vladimir Putin, the Czar of Moscow, is making his move.

The Kremlin has long wanted to dominate the Middle East. Since the dawn of the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy was to prevent this from happening. A close look at Putin’s own words showjust how dangerous he really is.

Indeed, in recent months — and recent days — the Russian leader has been making very aggressive moves.

Putin is solidifying and intensifying the Russian alliance with Iran. He has fully backed the insane Iran nuclear deal, despite the fact that the country is run by leaders who embrace an apocalyptic form of Islam. What’s more, he’s meeting with Iran’s top terrorist leader (Gen. Soleimani), and selling Iran the Kremlin’s state of the art anti-aircraft missile system (the S-300).

At the same time, Putin is arming the Assad regime and helping the ruthless dictator of Damascus kill Syrians by the tens of thousands and reduce the nation to rubble. He is also sending Russian combat troops, tanks, aircraft and other military materiel to Syria to help Iran prop up Assad and further establish the Russian-Iranian alliance on the north-eastern border of Israel.

If this weren’t enough, Putin’s Russia has just signed a $10 billion deal to help Jordan become a nuclear power. It is also set to help build nuclear facilities in Egypt, as well.

More than ever, we need a President with the wisdom and experience to reassert American leadership in the Middle East and around the world, and prevent Russia and Iran from dominating the region and threatening our allies.

UPDATED: Shana Tova! Sunday evening at sundown in Israel begins a new Jewish year. And as we begin, the region is full of anxiety over what the future holds.

The good news is that the God of the Bible is the God who knows the future, is all sovereign over the past, present and future, and even gives us a glimpse into the future through prophecy. This year, more than ever, I encourage you to read through — and study careful — the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, and especially the prophecies that tell us what the future holds.

Are you criticizing all people who study, believe in, teach, or live according to eschatology (the study of things pertaining to the End of Days)?

Is the study of eschatology inherently dangerous?

What are some of the similarities between Shia and Sunni eschatology and Biblical eschatology?

What are some of the main differences between Shia and Sunni eschatology and Biblical eschatology?

These are good and important questions. I’m glad people are asking, especially as we begin a new year. So let me provide some concise answers. I also provide links to more resources below that I think you’ll find helpful.

Yes, many devout Christians and Jews also believe in various prophecies about the End of Days.

JEWISH ESCHATOLOGY: Religious Jews believe the Messiah will come in the End of Days, will establish His global Kingdom upon the Earth (based in Jerusalem), and will rule the entire world with justice and righteousness. Such prophecies are described in the Hebrew Bible books of Daniel (7:9-14, for example),Isaiah, Jeremiah, as well as in the writings of other Hebrew prophets in the Bible.

No, I am not criticizing everyone who studies, believes in, teaches or lives according to prophecy and eschatology. As a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ — as an Evangelical who studies and believes and tries to obey the Bible — I believe very deeply in what the Bible teaches about the End Times and how we are to live as we await the Rapture, the Tribulation and the Second Coming. Indeed, I have written and taught extensively on the importance of rediscovering the purpose and power of Bible prophecy. (see various resources below)

Not all versions of eschatology are dangerous — but some are. The versions of eschatology believed, taught and practiced by the leaders of Iran and the Islamic State are very dangerous, as I have sought to explain.

Some of the core similarities between Biblical eschatology and Sunni & Shia eschatology are these:

Devout Christians and Muslims believe that there will be a period known as the “End Times” or “End of Days” or “Last Days” where God will consummate history as we have known it thus far, and then God will begin a new period of history.

Devout Christians and Muslims that the Messiah is coming in the End Times to establish his kingdom over the entire world.

Devout Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus is coming.

Devout Christians and Muslims believe that time is short and that we need to living differently in light of the coming of the messiah and his kingdom.

Some of the core differences between Biblical and Islamic eschatology are:

While devout Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the crucified and resurrected Son of God, and thus the Messiah, the Savior, and the King who will reign over the world, devout Muslims believe Jesus was merely a prophet, that he did not die on the cross and was not raised from the dead, and that he is coming not to be the King but rather as the deputy to their messiah, known as the Mahdi.

Biblical eschatology teaches devout Christians to love their enemy and seek to persuade unbelievers to repent of their sins and receive Jesus as the Messiah or Christ by faith for the forgiveness of their sins and to be adopted into God’s family and granted eternal life with God. If unbelievers refuse to receive Christ, Christians are still to love them, but they will be judged by God when they die and go to Hell forever. Islamic eschatology teaches Apocalyptic Muslims to give unbelievers an opportunity to repent. But if they don’t repent, Muslims are instructed to execute such “infidels.”

Biblical eschatology teaches that in the last days — particularly during a period of time known as the “Tribulation” — God will pour out His judgment on all the nations of the Earth. During this period, individuals can repent and receive Christ as Savior by faith. However, the Bible teaches that they will go through the worst period of war, famine, natural disasters and many other traumas in all of human history. Followers of Christ are not to cause or lead such wars and traumas. Rather they are to love their neighbors and enemies and preach the Gospel to everyone. But the Bible explains that such wars are coming as a result of leaders and forces obedient to Satan and that many Christians will be martyred during this period. Apocalyptic Muslims, on the other hand, believe that in the last days it is their God-given duty to foment and lead genocidal wars against all unbelieving nations, and to violently establish their kingdom or caliphate on earth. They are specifically instructed to slaughter Jews and Christians in the last days.

A careful study of Biblical eschatology reveals that it does not create a dangerous movement, but rather one motivated by love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion and a desire to create peace. It is given to us to motivate us to live more holy lives and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people in all nations, and care for the poor and needy, and follow more faithfully the teachings and example of Jesus as His return for us draws near. A careful study of Islamic eschatology practiced by Iranian and ISIS leaders, on the other hand, reveals that it creates a dangerous, violent, genocidal movement.

I hope you find this helpful in understanding and explaining important distinctions between Biblical eschatology and that of Apocalyptic Muslims. What follows are various resources to help you, and any of your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers who might be interested in understanding various issues concerning Biblical prophecy — such as the “Rapture” — and how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

This is the question I keep being asked in interviews, and it’s an important one.

The short answer is that most world leaders say the Iran deal is “historic” and support it because they are convinced it wil put the world on the path to “peace and safety.”

As you can see from the list of quotes I have compiled below, this is the language being used over and over again by American and foreign leaders — peace, safety, security, historic. Pundits and editorial writers are saying the same thing. They all repeat it like a mantra, that the deal will provide the world (and Israel) with unprecedented “peace and safety.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who opposes the Iran deal, put his finger precisely on the central issue.

“Ultimately, it depends on how one thinks Iran will behave,” Schumer recently explained. “If one thinks Iran will moderate, one should approve the agreement. But if one feels that Iranian leaders won’t moderate and their unstated but very real goal is to get relief from the onerous sanctions, while still retaining their nuclear ambitions and their ability to increase belligerent activities in the Middle East and elsewhere, then one should conclude that it would be better not to approve this agreement.”

Schumer is right. Whether this deal leads to peace or war comes down to a matter of the Iranian leadership’s motives and future behavior. President Obama, most world leaders, and untold number of pundits and editorial writers believe that Iran’s leaders truly want to re-enter the good graces of the family of nations, that really they want “back in” to international commerce and fellowship, and will moderate their behavior once the world receives them with open arms. Thus, they believe that this deal provides a generous, face-saving opportunity for the leaders in Tehran to build a safe and peaceful civilian nuclear power industry while promising to never build nuclear weapons.

In this regard, my friend, Jim Woolsey, a Democrat who served as CIA Director under President Clinton in the 1990s, recently made a very insightful remark. “This would be a perfectly reasonable agreement if it were with, say, Denmark.” That is, when you read the 159-page agreement, it is a reasonably serious document on the face of it, prepared by professional arms control negotiators and nuclear experts and other experienced diplomats. As such, it would be fine if it were a deal made with a moderate, calm, peaceful, non-belligerent nation like Denmark.

But as Woolsey adds, the Iranians are not the Danes. Tehran cannot be trusted. They have never dealt straight with the international community. They have repeatedly lied and cheated, especially with regards to their nuclear program. They are the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. And, as I pointed out in my National Review column on September 11th — and in this fact sheet— Iran’s leaders are driven by an apocalyptic, genocidal eschatology or End Times theology that calls for the annihilation of the U.S. and Israel. This is why so many of us see the exact same deal not as reasonable but insane.

The bottom line is this: the world is making a very large bet on a very bad group of actors. God help us all if they are wrong.

——————-

U.S. & WORLD LEADERS SAY IRAN DEAL WILL PROVIDE PEACE & SAFETY

SEVEN WORLD GOVERNMENTS: “The E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and the Islamic Republic of Iran welcome this historic Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which will ensure that Iran’s nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful….[T]his JCPOA will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security.” (Opening paragraph of the Iran nuclear deal, Vienna, July 14, 2015.)

U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON: “I warmly welcome the historic agreement in Vienna today and congratulate the P5+1 and Iran for reaching this agreement. This is testament to the value of dialogue…. As such it could serve as a vital contribution to peace and stability both in the region and beyond.” (July 14, 2015)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “This vote is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security, and for the safety and security of the world.” (September 10, 2015)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Today, after two years of negotiations, the United States, together with our international partners, has achieved something that decades of animosity has not — a comprehensive, long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon….This deal offers an opportunity to move in a new direction….a different path, one of tolerance and peaceful resolution of conflict.” (July 14, 2015)

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: “Now we have a historic opportunity to forge an enduring peaceful solution…. a final deal must provide verifiable assurances the international community is demanding to ensure Iran’s program is exclusively peaceful going forward.” (April 30, 2015)

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER REP. NANCY PELOSI: “This is historic. This is grand. This is visionary. This is about peace….Some of our members are saying this is the first time since I have been here that I have been able to vote for peace rather than just against war. So, I have confidence in it. The president has authority to do this. The opportunity for Congress to reject it will be met with rejection. And we go forward.” (September 10, 2015)

SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY: “Two months ago, in Vienna, the United States and five other nations – including permanent members of the UN Security Council – reached agreement with Iran on ensuring the peaceful nature of that country’s nuclear program….[H]istory may judge it a turning point….” (September 2, 2015)

REP. PATRICK MURPHY: “This debate has proven to me that America and Israel are fortunate to have so many passionate, diverse voices who all want the same things: a nuclear-free Iran, a secure Israel, and peace in our time. In the interest of all three, I will be supporting this deal…”

REP. HANK JOHNSON: “I will be voting in support of this monumental diplomatic achievement and in support of peace…. We have an opportunity to choose peace. It is time for Congress to be on the right side of history.”

REP. KEITH ELLISON: “The historic agreement reached today proves the power of engagement over isolation — we can choose peace over war. The world is safer thanks to the patient diplomacy and determination of President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and our P5+1 negotiating partners.”

REP. DEREK KILMER: “The proposed agreement with Iran is historic, with the power to shape not only the Middle East but the entire world….[I]t puts us on a path toward a safer and more peaceful world.”

REP. LLOYD DOGGETT: “Negotiations have already made our families safer. While demanding thorough scrutiny, this agreement appears to mark genuine progress for all who believe that peace will make us more secure than war with Iran.”

———————

PUNDITS SAY THE IRAN DEAL WILL PROVIDE PEACE & SAFETY

Rachel Maddow: “Iran deal puts US on path to peace” — “We don’t know if the Iran deal is going to work. If it does, it will be the major foreign policy achievement not only of this presidency but of this American generation, at which point, people in the not-too-distant future will look back at this presidency – they’ll look back at this President — and say, ‘Well of course they gave him the Nobel Peace Prize! Of course they did! That totally makes sense.’” (MSNBC, July 14, 2015)

FOREIGN POLICY: “The Iran Deal Proves That Peace Is Possible”— “Behind the wonky op-eds about enrichment, breakout capability, and sanctions relief, there is an innovative attempt to find a lasting peace that I believe is unparalleled…. this deal will be a unique achievement for world peace.” (June 24, 2015)

Today, we remember the horrific attacks by al-Qaeda on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania and all the effort that has been made to defeat — or at least contain — the forces of Radical Islam.

But fourteen years after 9/11, the nature of the threats we face in and from the Middle East have significantly changed. The forces of Radical Islam still pose a serious danger, to be sure. But an even more serious threat is emerging from a movement I call “Apocalyptic Islam,” led by Iran and ISIS.

While I have raised such issues in a range of novels over the years — from The Twelfth Imam to The Third Target (and its forthcoming sequel, The First Hostage) — it is vital at this moment for the public and our leaders to understand the facts. Indeed, much of the confusion in Washington over just how dangerous the Iran nuclear deal is stems from a deep misunderstanding of what is truly motivating the leaders in Tehran.

Thus, in this column published today by National Review, I explain what Apocalyptic Islam is, how the Shia and Sunni versions are similar and how they differ, who believes it, and why it matters. I also ask, “Do U.S. policymakers and the presidential candidates understand the nature of this threat? If they do, they should explain how they would counter it before it’s too late.”

This week, I have also published two fact sheets that provide more details:

To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it.

Fourteen years ago — on September 11, 2001 — America was blindsided by the forces of radical Islam. Pre-9/11, American leaders rightly understood that the vast majority of the world’s Muslims were generally peace-loving people who posed no threat to our homeland. But they failed to adequately comprehend, much less counter, the theology, political ideology, and operational strategy of men like Osama bin Laden.

The results were devastating. The attacks against the World Trade Center, against the Pentagon, and over Shanksville, Pa., killed nearly 3,000 Americans, along with individuals from 93 other nations, in the most devastating sneak attack since we were blindsided by the Imperial Japanese at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Today, President Obama and members of his administration still refuse to use the term “radical Islam,” even as Jordan’s King Abdullah II, a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, candidly admits that the West is engaged in a “third world war” against Islamic terrorism. Abdullah adds that, at its core, “this is a Muslim problem. We need to take ownership of this. We need to stand up and say what is right and what is wrong.”

The king is right. The threat of radical Islam to the U.S. and our allies is serious and ongoing.

That said, there is a dramatic shift underway in the Muslim world. The most serious threat we face in the Middle East and North Africa is no longer radical Islam but apocalyptic Islam….

“A great storm is being stirred up from the remotest parts of the earth.” (Jeremiah 25:32)

As we head into autumn, darkness continues to fall and raging storms continue to spread across the Middle East.

From Iran’s latest vow to annihilate Israel, to Russian combat troops entering and operating in Syria, to the Islamic State capturing and using chemical weapons, to the persecution and slaughter of Muslims and Christians across the region, we are seeing wickedness on the move.

The Scriptures warn us that even darker days lie ahead.

But we must not lose hope. For amidst all the bad news, there is much good news, too.

I can tell you first hand that the Church in the Middle East is in many places acting as a lighthouse in the darkness.

I am seeing followers of Jesus Christ boldly proclaim the Gospel, bravely preach the Word of God in person and through satellite television and radio and on the Internet, faithfully make disciples, and shepherd growing congregations of believers, against all odds.

In the weeks ahead, I will be sharing both trends — the spreading darkness and the shining light — at events in the U.S. and Canada. Please see below for my current schedule. I would love it if you would register and plan on joining us, if at all possible.

In the meantime, please keep praying for the believers throughout the epicenter, for the pastors and shepherds serving in this beleaguered region, and for the lost to find the light and hope of our Great God and Soon-Coming King. Thanks so much!

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'”(John 8:12)

Then Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14)

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain…” (Philippians 2:14-16)